


We Can Pretend

by bleulily (winterfells)



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Gansey being a lil cutie, Helen's birthday, and Blue too tbh, kisses are a possible thing in this universe btw, the ganseys are a threat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-20 16:21:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6016261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winterfells/pseuds/bleulily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blue and Gansey aren't as good pretending as they think they are. But that's perhaps because of the feelings they hold inside.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We Can Pretend

**Author's Note:**

> Blue doesn't have a curse in this au, just thought you should know.

Blue stared at the walls of the grand house that laid right before her eyes. She had never been in a place so big ever before. In a way it was like being in a fairytale, walking through the corridors of a big castle, where kings and queens resided, danced, made memories; generation through generation, all of them were lead towards the same destiny: greatness, power and wealth.

Gansey was no different from his family.

No, his face, chiseled as that of a handsome prince, demonstrated that he came from a long line of noble men; his eyes, hazel and warm, smiling proudly, as though they were wearing his family’s sigil. And his smile, though lacking honesty, was that of a man who knew he could get whatever he wanted whenever he wanted.

Blue had never been a fan of this side of Gansey, the one who appeared side to side with the rest of his family, the one you could surely see in a magazine or perhaps your telly. In her eyes, he was false, a mask. She had seen the real Gansey once before, and there was no way back, not for her. She had grown fond of him, the young man with anxiety and PTSD, the nervous boy who couldn’t sleep at night, the one who deeply cared for his friends, the selfless boy who loved with all his heart; he had become an important part of Blue’s life, and she didn’t want to let him go.

“Do you like it?” he asked quietly as they walked through the corridors of his family’s manor. Blue noticed his false smile had faded, and now it was replaced by a frown; his hands were twisting nervously.

“Your home?” she asked.

Gansey shook his head. “This is not my home,” he said softly and looked at his side as though he had found someone or something, but Blue noticed there was nothing. _He was just nervous._ “You know that.”

Blue nodded. “It’s beautiful. I feel as though I’m in an Austen novel or something of the sort. Ready to attend a ball!”

“Well, it won’t be that different from a ball,” Gansey said with a sigh, “My sister likeS to make a big deal out of her birthdays.”

Blue let out a giggle and followed Gansey through a door. It was a rather small room compared to the other ones that had seen before. It reminded Blue of what she imagined was a drawing room while reading Pride and Prejudice. The furniture looked as though it was more than a hundred years old, and she wondered how old Gansey’s family truly was. She took a look around, trying to see if she could come up with any memories for the room, but her lack of psychic ability let her down. If she had been a psychic, with a gift such as clairsentience, she would have been able to see something just by touching the furniture, but no such thing would ever happen to her.

“This place is beautiful,” she whispered.

Gansey’s lips lifted up to a smile. “I’m glad you think so,” he said, “I used to spend a lot of time in this room when I was a kid. I liked to go by the window and watch the rain while playing with my cars. there was one, a monster truck, it had been given to me as a Christmas present. I dragged it all around the room, not caring if I ever stumbled upon a person, I only wanted to drive.”

“That’s such a lovely memory.”

“This is also the room where I had my first kiss.”

Blue rolled her eyes. “Really?”

“Yes,” he said proudly, “Her name was Claire, she was the daughter of my mother’s best friend, and she’s surely attending my sister’s ball. I was really nervous, and I’m sure I made the situation a bit uncomfortable for the both of us, but I liked the kiss. It’s not such a bad thing. Kissing, I mean.”

“I guess it’s a shame I’ve never been kissed,” Blue said with a shrug, “But I guess it’ll all come at its own time.”

Gansey nodded and took a seat at one of the couches. “It will, and you’ll be amazed by it.”

Blue turned to look at him and gave him a small smile before turning her attention back to every single thing that decorated such a room. It really was like a fairytale, but Blue wasn’t sure if she was ready to be a princess.

“About the favor you asked me… How long do we have to pretend?” she asked curiously, but she didn’t dare to look at Gansey in the eye.

“All through the weekend,” he responded, “Then we can go back to Henrietta and pretend as though this never happened.”

Blue nodded and quickly went to take a seat next to him. He smelled of mint, even from a few inches apart, and for a second, Blue’s eyes fluttered. She liked that smell, but she wasn’t sure if she always did or if she had grown to love it the way she had grown to care for him. She shook her head. “If you think for a second that I won’t speak up if any of these people ever dare to speak ill of me or people like me, then I suggest you drive me all the way back to Henrietta.”

“Blue, you gotta-”

“I don’t like shitty people.”

“I know you don’t,” he said exasperated, “And I’m not saying you should stand them, nor am I supporting them. You mean a lot to me, and I would hate to see anyone saying something not nice about you.”

Blue crossed her arms against her chest. “And then?” she asked, “Are you so naïve as to think no one ever will? Look at me, and my clothes. I’m not like you, and people will notice that right away.”

Gansey shook his head. “We’ll tell them you’re my girlfriend, and when I have a girlfriend I don’t let anyone, and I mean _anyone_ , to question my choices.”

“But I’m not really your girlfriend.”

“But you’re my best friend,” he said and grabbed a strand of her hair, only to place it behind her ear. She noticed the way his features softer, and for the first time in that day, he showed an honest smile.

“I suppose that means something.”

“It means everything,” he clarified, “You’re the most important woman in my life.”

“I’m not sure your sister would be happy to hear that,” Blue said cheekily, “She does seem to take pride on being your older sister. I can’t begin to imagine what it was like when you still lived here.”

Gansey groaned. “Siblings,” he said annoyed, “You’re lucky you don’t have any.”

“There were moments in my life where I felt really lonely. Sure, I had a lot of people to hang out with in my house, but I always wondered what it was like to have siblings. Now I have the four of you.”

Gansey quirked an eyebrow, and Blue realised that his smile fell once again. “You consider me your brother then?” he asked curiously.

“Not quite,” she admitted, “But I do consider you family. And home, I consider you a home.”

* * *

Blue nearly tripped with the dress Helen had borrowed to her. She had claimed for it to be too short for her and perfectly fitting for Blue; but the truth was, the dress was hanging from her body even with the highest heels Blue had ever worn. She felt frustrated.

“Gansey?” she asked as she stepped inside his old room. It was quite grand, yet elegant and neat, just like him, “I can’t possibly go out wearing this.”

Gansey was struggling to knot his tie. Generally he was very good at it, seeing as he had to do it on a daily basis when he attended school; but it tended to be quite problematic when he was having an anxiety attack. He thought everything was going according to the plan, but after hours of thinking he realised that he couldn’t pretend Blue Sargent was his girlfriend. Not because he was embarrassed of her, he could never; but maybe it was the reason that dragged him away from ever being embarrassed of her that would get him into trouble.

He couldn’t even dare to take a look at her.

“Gansey, I’m talking to you!” she stated and swiftly moved in front of his sight.

His eyes widened, and he let out a loud sigh. “I’m sorry,” he said and shook his head, then he struggled to knot his tie again.

She moved her hands towards his and gave him a soft smile. She had learnt to knot ties by spending so much time with him and the rest of his boys. Noah had been the one to explain her how it worked one day at a New Year’s party. He thought it to be useful, at least when it came to Gansey and anxiety. And Blue discovered she rather enjoyed doing it, it was like a small puzzle, one that could end a man’s life; it was the sort of weapon no one would suspect of.

“What are you smiling at?” Gansey asked.

Blue shook her head. “If I told you, you would think of me as a crazy person.”

“I could never think such thing of you.”

Blue looked down and let out a sigh. “I know you wouldn’t,” she said, and her eyes locked with his again, “You never told me your opinion on my dress.”

“You look beautiful,” he admitted, “Blue really suits you, Jane, I wonder why that is.”

“Shut up,” she said and turned to look at her dress, “I still feel ridiculous. I’ll never be half as tall as your sister. Are you sure she doesn’t own a shorter dress?”

“I don’t think she does,” he responded honestly, “Why don’t you wear something of what you’ve packed? You own so many beautiful dresses, Jane. Some that fit you perfectly. I recall you wearing a beautiful blue dress once, I don’t remember what was the occasion, but you looked glorious in it.”

Blue was taken aback by his last statement, but she gave him a small smile. “It was your birthday,” she reminded him, “You invited us all to celebrate at Monmouth, and I decided to wear that dress,” she shrugged, “It seemed fitting.”

“You’re right,” he said, a small smile followed hers, “It was my birthday.”

“I don’t think your sister would want to see me wearing that,” Blue stated.

Gansey groaned. “Who cares what she thinks?”

“It’s quite revealing.”

“Who cares what people think? What matters is what you think and I don’t think you mind wearing a dress like that one,” Gansey said desperately, “You looked beautiful and you felt comfortable with it, and I think that in the end that’s what matters.”

“What if I didn’t pack it?”

“Oh… well, that would be a shame.”

Blue let out a laugh. “I left it in my room, can you please go and pick it up? I don’t trust myself on this dress, and I wouldn’t want to fall. I feel as though it would be more uncomfortable on a floor such as this.”

Gansey nodded. “Sure thing, Jane.”

He walked outside of his room, everything seemed quiet. None of the guests had arrived yet, and he felt relieved. He didn’t mind seeing members of his family he hadn’t seen in awhile, he rather missed a lot of his cousins and the occasional uncle, but they put him under a lot of pressure, and he didn’t like when people did that. That’s why he brought Blue along with him. They had insisted for a long while that it was time for him to stop caring so much about Glendower and get a girlfriend, that it would do him well, that it would be fitting for the family. And in a way, he really did want to get a girlfriend, but not under such circumstances.

He reached Blue’s room and noticed her dress was already outside of her luggage, she had considered wearing it before. He quickly fetched it and walked towards his room when he noticed a figure walking towards him. It was his sister.

“What’s that dress for?” she asked as she pointed at it, a disapproving gesture quickly falling to her face.

“The dress you borrowed to Jane is far too long for her. I told her to wear this one and she’s agreed.”

Helen eyed the dress and nodded. “Tell her I’m grateful for her coming,” she said, “She’s a nice girl, and regardless of what you say, I think you two would make a good couple.”

Gansey rolled his eyes. “Well, I hope the rest of our family agrees. I’m not in the mood to have a discussion with one of our uncles today.”

“I’m sure of one thing. They’ll think she’s odd in one way or another, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t like her.”

“I personally think it’s impossible to dislike her.”

Helen chuckled. “Of course you do.”

Gansey walked back towards his room and found Blue laying on his bed. She had an artifact in her hands, something Gansey couldn’t quite recognise. She didn’t look up at him, instead she kept playing with it.

Gansey cleared his throat. “I got your dress.”

Blue looked up at him and a small smile covered her lips. Gansey realised that the object in her hands was a framed picture of him when he was a kid. He didn’t have many of those, his parents enjoyed taking pictures of Helen more than they did with him; but the one she was holding was special. He had gone to the Alps with his parents for the first time in his life, an extraordinary experience for a five year old kid. It had been the happiest day of his life.

“What was it like?” she asked curious, “Traveling so far at such a young age.”

Gansey sat on his bed across from her. He lifted his brows, hoping she would catch the silent message he was giving to her, the one that was asking her what she was doing with such picture in her hands. She did.

“I saw it and I thought it was adorable,” she confessed, “I had never seen a picture of you when you were a kid before.”

Gansey chuckled. “That one is my favourite. I remember that day as though it was yesterday,” he said, “It was the adventure of a lifetime.”

“I can imagine.”

“One day I’ll take you with me. We’ll go to Switzerland, and Poland, and England, and all the places you want to see. It’s like going to another world, you’ll love it.”

Blue shifted towards him and cupped his face with her hands. She stared at him blankly for a few seconds, neither of them saying anything; then she let go. “I’m not sure my mother will approve of me traveling around Europe with a boy who thinks about nothing but Welsh Kings, especially since he’s so attractive.”

“Is he?”

Blue rolled her eyes. “You know very well he is,” she said, then she pushed him away, “Now go, I need to change my clothes.”

* * *

Blue looked around the ballroom, everything about the place was screaming the Gansey name. People dressed in the finest clothes were swirling around the echo of the most elegant music. Every now and then, Blue could hear the sound of a loud laugh, one that she couldn’t tell whether it was genuine or not. People were talking as they raised their glasses with expensive drinks Blue had never heard of; the room was full of gossip and everything that Blue had spent her entire life avoiding.

“How are you feeling?” Gansey asked kindly. He had been talking to a couple of his uncles, but by noticing upon Blue feeling unwell, he had decided to walk her away from the ballroom, and into the garden.

“I don’t feel comfortable, I’m sorry,” she confessed, “I just feel so out of place and I want to be alone. Go and be with your family. You seem so happy with them, and I don’t want to spoil this celebration for you.”

“Blue,” he said quickly. He grabbed one of her hands and caressed her fingers with his thumb. Blue shivered at the touch, but she closed her eyes and allowed herself to enjoy it. She liked the warmth that generally surrounded him. “I’m not going to leave you alone,” he whispered.

She went on her the tips of her toes and kissed his cheek. “Go, I don’t mind,” she insisted, “I rather like it here outside. I like looking at the stars.”

Gansey sighed frustrated. He did want to spend some time with his family, perhaps some is his friends, but he truly didn’t want to leave Blue, that much was obvious to her. It was one of those moments in his life when everything he wanted was far from his reach, when the idea of not getting everything that he wanted tore him apart.

“The stars do look lovely tonight,” he said as he looked up at the sky.

Blue followed his gaze and smiled. “They do,” she said, “I suppose they’re here to celebrate the birthday of the little star that’s your sister.”

Blue noticed Gansey turned to look at him from the corner of her eye, but she didn’t move her gaze away from the stars. “Or perhaps they’re here to see you,” he said, his voice full of honey, “I’m certain they know you’re a big fan, and they’re not stuck-up celebrities. Besides, they’ve heard you’re beautiful. As beautiful as them.”

She looked down and bit her lip. “What’s it with you today, Dick? I’d dare say you’re acting rather strange.”

He shook his head. “I am not acting strange.”

Blue looked at him with disbelief. “Yes, you are! You’ve been acting as though I truly was your girlfriend. You never say things to me like that. I mean, you sometimes tell me I’m beautiful, but it just feels different now.”

Gansey leaned towards her, his mint-scented breath covering all of her. She closed her eyes, not really sure of what she was expecting, but the pace of her heart telling her it was the feelings she had been avoiding for months. “How does it feel different?” he asked softly, almost like a whisper.

“Because,” she said as she clutched her hands to his chest, the hint of his stubble tickling the naked skin of her chin, “Because I…”

“Oh dear, I hope I’m not interrupting something!” an old lady yelled.

Blue and Gansey quickly pushed each other away and turned to look at her. It was one of Gansey’s aunts, a rather pretentious one. Gansey had told her about how she had gotten drunk once and had forgotten about all the elegance that ever dropped from every inch of her body, and Blue was sure she would never see the woman in the same way.

“Well, I dare say you two make a rather lovely couple,” she said as she handed her drink towards Gansey. She gave Blue a look, as though she was checking her to see if she could fit the family’s name, but Blue stood still and gave her a haughty glance. She wasn’t going to be intimidated by a woman such as this one. “How did you two meet again?”

Blue opened her mouth to speak, but Gansey quickly responded to his aunt’s question. “We live in the same town, Henrietta,” he stated, “She worked as a waitress in Nino’s, and I had gone with my friends that night. My friend Adam and I couldn’t help but to cast our glance towards her, she was truly a sight to behold; but he said he wasn’t interested, that he had already set his eyes towards someone else, and so he encouraged me to go and talk to her. I made a fool of myself.”

Blue let out a giggle. “How could I ever forget?”

“I accidentally called her a prostitute,” he said embarrassed, “And I know I’ll never hear the end of it, which is why I wonder how am I so lucky. She used to hate me, of that I’m sure. She gave me a glare I could never forget. I felt so embarrassed, but she was too beautiful, and she seemed so determined and strong-willed from what I had seen while we were at Nino’s, that I couldn’t bring myself to give up. The next weeks she’d realised that I had become a regular customer, and though she probably didn’t want to at first, we started talking, and our chats became regular too. I was pleased to see we had become friends, she was one of the few people I felt comfortable with, and I found myself able to open up to her; I talked to her about things I couldn’t even talk to with my other friends, and that made me feel relaxed. She makes me feel relaxed. And as I got to know her better, I realised that she was exactly what I expected, and so much more. She was wise, clever as a fox, brave, and tender, though that’s hidden under a rough patch. But I grew so in love with her every day. I am so in love with her.”

A short gasp escaped Blue’s lips as the last words left Gansey’s mouth. She didn’t realise her hands had moved to clutch her chest, nor that her eyes had pooled with tears and her body was shaking. Gansey had told his aunt and nothing more than the truth; but every little detail from his story made her heart flutter. She didn’t think he would remember any of those things, nor did she think that she would end the story speaking of love in such a way. Blue was in shock.

Gansey’s aunt nodded and gave Blue one last glance before smiling and walking away with the excuse of not wanting to interrupt them further. The entire scene seemed strange, or at least Blue thought so with her head spinning around, telling her that perhaps she had fallen asleep and this was no more than just a dream.

“Jane,” he said as soon as his aunt left them. He was looking at the floor, fidgeting  his fingers “I’m sorry if what I said offended you.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry if what I said offended you,” he repeated, “I just… I needed you to know the truth.”

Blue walked towards him, uncertain about it, but she managed to do so anyway. She was face to face with him, and though he struggled to maintain his eyes locked on hers, they kept their gaze as steady as possible. “So did you mean it?” she asked.

Gansey let out a humourless laugh. “Do you doubt it?”

She shook her head. “Now that i think about it, I don’t.”

“Good, because it’s the truth.”

“Why didn’t you say so before?” she asked, now casting her gaze down. 

Gansey smiled, but his eyes showed nothing but sadness. Blue wanted to reach out to him, but she stopped herself before he could speak. “I knew you didn’t love me, at least not in that way, and I didn’t want to spoil our friendship.”

“Oh Gansey,” she said as her hands went to reach his chest. She had done that before, when his aunt interrupted them, but now she gave herself the chance to feel his breath against her hand, the beating of his heart. She closed her eyes. “You have no idea of what you’re saying.”

“Jane,” he said against her air, “Please tell me you mean it.”

Blue bit her lower lip and smiled at his stubble tickling her skin again. This time she was determined to kiss him, she deserved to enjoy this lovely night. “I do,” she confessed, “I’ve done it for so long now, I don’t even remember when it started.”

“Oh Jane,” he whispered before dragging his lips towards hers.

It was a simple kiss, but one that contained so many emotions. She clutched at his chest tightly as their lips moved in unison, his hands fell to her waist, and Blue realised that his heart was as rapid as hers. She moved her hands towards his head, breaking the kiss for a few seconds as she cupped his face again. She licked his lips, realising she wanted to explore more of him before they left the garden, and he granted her permission to do so. She moved her hands to his hair as he deepened their kiss. She pulled a lock of his hair out of enjoyment, and then she giggled as she heard him moan against her mouth.

“Gansey,” she said as they finally pulled away, “Thank you for bringing me tonight.”

“Oh believe me, Jane,” he said grinning, “It was my pleasure.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
